Besides marking the European Year of Cultural Heritage, organised for the purpose of raising awareness among the wider European public of the social and economic importance of cultural heritage, this programme will also mark Europe Day (9 May), the anniversary of the adoption of the Schuman declaration, which resulted in the establishment of a community representing the forerunner of the European Union, as well as the anniversary of the founding of the Council of Europe (5 May) as an international organisation established with the aim of upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law in European countries.